Taliban announce start of spring offensive
The Taliban terrorist group announced they will launch their spring offensive on Sunday, signaling plans to step up attacks as the weather warms across Afghanistan, making both travel and fighting easier.
The statement comes toward the end of a month that already has been the deadliest of the year, AP reported.
The terrorist group’s leadership vowed that “every possible tactic will be utilized in order to detain or inflict heavy casualties on the foreign transgressors,” including attacks on military bases and diplomatic areas.
The leadership also threatened more so-called insider attacks by members of the Afghan security forces against their colleagues or foreign troops. Such attacks threaten the strength of the Afghan forces as they work to take over responsibility from international troops. The latest one occurred in March, when a member of Afghanistan’s government-backed militia program shot and killed five of his colleagues in Badghis Province in northwest Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry responded by saying its security forces are prepared for Taliban’s new campaign. “The Afghan National Army is ready to neutralize the offensive,” the ministry said, adding that the soldiers now have the support and trust of many Afghans.
In another development, a NATO aircraft crashed in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, and coalition forces were securing the site, the International Security Assistance Force said. Its brief statement provided no information about where the crash occurred or if there were casualties, but did say there was no indication it was downed by terrorists.